Drawing Me Closer With Your Song
by Simple Songwriter
Summary: It's Summer Break and the Kaiba brothers are on vacation at a private lake. There, during the nights, he hears strange, soothing singing. He tries to find this voice. Will he give into his softer side and fall in love? SetoxOC
1. Facing Death

**Simple Songwriter:** I'm back! And I seemed to have gained a yami while I was gone...?

**Annabelle:** (grins TOO sweetly) he he he he he...

**Simple Songwriter: **Well, here's another one of my stories, I hope you like it!

**NOTE: **Annabelle is 18 years old with golden-brown hair and dark brown eyes. She is about 5'5"

**Disclaimer: I, Simple Songwriter do not own Yu-gi-oh!**

**Chapter 1 - Facing Death **

The sun was beaming, and the lake water sparkled beneath its fiery glaze. It was absolutely gorgeous. A young girl with golden-brown hair and dark brown eyes sat down on her beach chair to rest from her afternoon jog around the lake. Eighteen-year-old Annabelle von Operetta seemed to be a normal, but was actually quite different. Her parents died when she was only ten years old. They had left her with a small log cabin that rested on the shore of Lake Cora.

Despite the fact that she was an orphan, she lived a mostly normal life. But she couldn't forget the day that had changed her life forever.

_**Flashback**_

"_Mommy?" said a ten-year-old Annabelle._

"_Yes sweetie?" her mother replied, tucking her into bed._

"_How long are you and daddy gonna be gone?"_

"_We'll only be gone for about an hour. Your daddy and I wanted to get a little fresh air, so we're taking a walk to town and back." She saw the fear in her daughter's eyes grow. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll have my cell phone with me in case you get scared."_

"_Thank you mommy!"_

"_You're welcome. Now try to go to sleep." She gently kissed Annabelle's forehead and then walked out of the room._

_**End Flashback**_

Annabelle clasped her head and forced herself to stop.

"(I've got to stop living in the past!)" she thought. "(What's done is done. And there's no use trying to change the past because it'll never happen! Sigh… I gotta cool down. I'll just go swimming for a little bit.)"

She got up from her beach chair and walked up to her house.

"Hmm…Which should I wear? The black one-piece, or the blue two-piece?" She thought aloud. Not taking anymore time to ponder that, she quickly undressed and threw on her black one piece bathing suit. Then she ran out onto the pier and jumped merrily into the lake.

"(Ah…This is better!)" She smiled as she swam out to the raft. Annabelle climbed up onto the raft and then dived gracefully back into the water. She plunged into the cool, relaxing water when a strange feeling overcame her.

"(M—My leg!)" she thought. "(It's cramping up on me! I—I cant move!)"

She desparately tried to swim towards the surface, but was unable to.

"(Okay Annabelle…Calm yourself. If you panic, then you drown…)" Her leg stopped bothering her for a minute and she seized that as an opportunity to breathe. She swam up to the surface and gasped for air.

"(Thank goodness!)" she though as she took in the fresh air. "(That was close!)" She clung to the raft for safety.

Suddenly, a motorboat drove by and the driver carelessly threw and empty liquor bottle out of the boat. To Annabelle's dismay, the bottle hit her in the back of the head and knocked her out cold. She sank slowly into the lake.

Meanwhile, nineteen-year-old Seto Kaiba was taking his afternoon jog around the lake when he saw a girl sink almost lifelessly into the lake.

"What the…?" He slowed down to comprehend what he had just seen. Then he ran as fast as he could towards the scene. And without a second thought, he ripped off his white T-shirt and dove into the lake. He swam out to the raft and looked around for the girl.

"Where'd she go?" Seto swam under the water and spotted the girl hovering at the bottom of the lake. He swam down what must've been twenty feet and grabbed the girl. After they had surfaced, he swam quickly towards shore and then laid her down on the warm sand.

He checked to see if she was breathing. She wasn't breathing.

"Oh great…" he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation…" Seto was not thrilled about having to literally 'French Kiss' some girl. But he knew what he had to do. Slowly, he bent down over the girl, opened her mouth, plugged her nose shut, and pressed his lips onto hers.

But before he gave her air a second time, Annabelle's eyes flew open and caught sight of Seto.

"EEEK!" she squealed pushing him off of her. "What do you think you're doing to me!"

"Oww…" he grumbled. "Is that any way to repay someone for saving your life?" he snapped.

She opened her mouth to say something, but instead turned her head to and started coughing violently.

"(Okay then… What an ungrateful little brat. I go over to rescue her from drowning, and she pushes me away. Hmph…)" He got up and dusted himself off.

"(Who is this guy?)" Annabelle thought as her coughing ceased. "(He's so cold…)" She squinted through the bright sunlight to see his face. "(Have I seen this guy before?)" She scrutinized him from head to toe. "(Wait a minute… No… It couldn't be—)" Her eyes widened in shock. "(Mr. Seto Kaiba? CEO of Kaiba Corp.? I knew I've seen him before! He was on TV talking about some of his inventions. But…What's a big-shot like him doing here?)"

"Are you about finished?" he asked impatiently.

"Huh?"

"Are you done 'checking me out' yet? You've been staring at me for the past few minutes here."

"I—I'm sorry sir. I was only trying to find out the identity of my hero, Mr. Kaiba, sir…"

"Hmm… How flattering…" he replied in a very monotonous voice.

"I'm sorry…It won't happen again…" Tears of pain and regret welled up in her eyes. The bum she got on her head started throbbing. Her vision became blurry.

"Relax. I understand your motive. (But you're still classified as weird.)" He sat down beside her. "Are you alright?"

"Um…Yeah." She lied. However, Seto wasn't fooled. He let out a tiny chuckle.

"Now, let's try that again. Are you alright?"

"I—uh…" He stared deeply into her eyes. "No, not really. If we're to talk, can we please do so indoors?"

"Whatever." He got up and then helped Annabelle to her feet. "Where are we going?"

"My cabin, if that's alright with you, s—sir."

"Will you do me a favor and quit calling me sir? You may address me as Seto. But don't let that go to your puny head. And don't go bragging it to your friends either."

"Okay Seto. My cabin is just a little further uphill." They started walking slowly up to her house.

"What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. And it's Annabelle. Annabelle von Operetta."

"Annabelle eh? Haven't heard that name in a while."

"Hmm…" Her vision was starting to get even more blurry as her temples were throbbed mercilessly. But she acted as though nothing was wrong. That is, until she nearly fell over due to her impaired vision. However, Seto caught her before she could fall flat on her face.

"Is everything alright?" he asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Yeah, I just stumbled on a rock back there." She lied. "(The last thing I need is to look even more pathetic to him…)" She walked a little slower. Seto didn't seem to notice.

"(Well, she seems to be an alright person. I get the impression that she's scared of me though. Heh. How amusing.)"

Annabelle's vision had gotten worse. Everything seemed to be spinning freely. She clasped her head again. And before she knew what was happening, she was lying face down and unconscious in the sand.

He heard a small 'thud' and spun around to see what happened. "Annabelle?" He rushed over to her and picked her up bridal style. "(What's wrong with her?)"

After he had gotten into her cabin, he found her bed and laid her down on it. He sat down beside her, and waited for her to awaken.

For hours on end, Seto sat next to Annabelle. Finally, he looked down at his watch.

"(Wow… It's already 8:30. I ought to get back home. Mokuba will be wondering about where I am. But I can't just leave her alone like this…Grr…)" He took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a little note. He set it on her bedside table, took one last glance at her, and then left her cabin.

After he got down to the beach, he started jogging back to his house. A little ways down, he tripped on something and ended up getting a face full of sand.

"Cough… Cough… Son of a—" He spit out some sand and then stood up. He looked to see what he had tripped on and smirked. "My shirt…"

Seto bent down and picked up his shirt, then continued walking back to his house. When he got home, he was greeted by a very worried Mokuba.

"Big brother," he started. "Where've you been? You've been gone for almost seven hours"

"Calm down Mokuba." He said to his little brother, whose face was a bright shade of red.

"What happened? Are you hurt? Did the media come and start harassing you? Did—"

Seto placed a hand on Mokuba's shoulder. He looked up at his older brother with tears in his eyes.

'Just let me sit down and I'll tell you everything." Seto sighed. He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Mokuba walked in and sat right next to him, hands folded neatly in his lap.

"Alright. I was out jogging along the beach, and I see some careless person chuck his beer bottle in the lake."

"(When did you become the garbage police?)" Mokuba thought giggling. Seto didn't seem to notice.

"The bottle ended up hitting this one girl who was swimming. She looked as though she was about to drown, so I ended up having to play 'Hero' and rescue her. After I got her out, I realized she wasn't breathing and attempted to use mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but she woke up.

"We started talking and she told me her name. But when she was walking up to her house with me, she collapsed. So I took her into her house and watched over her for some time."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Mokuba asked.

"She ought to be just fine." He replied reassuringly. His younger brother smiled.

Annabelle was tossing and turning in her bed. She had gone into a deep sleep.

_**Annabelle's Dream/Flashback continued…**_

"_Now try to get some sleep." She gently kissed Annabelle's forehead and then walked out of the room._

"_Are you ready to go Kat?" asked Annabelle's father._

"_Yes Ernest." Replied Annabelle's mother._

_They walked outside hand in hand and disappeared in the distance._

_Annabelle got out of her bed and left the room. She walked into the family room and sat on the couch. Deep thoughts rose in her mind._

"_(Sigh…Everything's perfect! My life is great, my house is average, but it's all perfect! And my parents…)" She picked up and held a picture of her and her parents. She smiled and held the picture up to her heart. "(They're my only family…I can't imagine my life without them.)"_

_She sat there for about three hours and then started walking back to her room. But before she got in, she heard glass shatter and the lights went out. Thinking quickly, she quietly dashed into her room, grabbed her cell phone, and hid under her bed. Then she texted 'HELP NOW' to her mom's cell phone. All she could do now was wait because right after she sent the message, her phone died._

_She heard the prowler rummaging through stuff in her parents' room. Then the prowler went into her room. He walked into her room jumped onto her bed._

"_EEP!" she cried._

"_Huh?" The man got off the bed and looked underneath it. He reached in and pulled Annabelle out from her hiding spot. "Heh… Just a little brat."_

"_Y—You let me go right now!" she pleaded._

"_Awe… Does little Annabelle want her mummy and daddy?" He said mockingly._

"_What? How—How do you know my name?"_

"_What does that matter? It's not gonna bring your parents back."_

"_What?"_

"_Your parents are dead."_

"_Huh? N—No… Who are you? How do you know?"_

"_I told you already. My name doesn't concern you."_

"_Why not?"_

"_A murderer never reveals his identity."_

"_You lie! Tell me who you are!"_

"_Not unless you want me to kill you too. Just like your precious mummy and daddy…"_

"_No…" Hot tears formed in her eyes, but she held them back. "You… You murdered my parents?!"_

"_Yes, my little brat. But don't worry. I was going to put you out of your misery anyways." He pulled a gun out from behind him and pointed it at the young girl._

"_NO! PLEASE! I—I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" Her tears finally succeeded and fell from her face. The man reluctantly lowered his weapon._

"_Don't breathe a word of this to any authority. Or for that matter, anyone. If you do, I will come back and kill you._

_She bit her lip and then nodded. "__Alright…I won't breathe a word…"_

"_Good. Now I must be off. Oh! And before I forget, here's a little keepsake for you." He drew a knife from within his black coat and slashed a letter 'D' on her stomach. With that, he slipped out the window and into the night._

"_AIEEEEE!" She screamed as pain seared through her body. All she could do was lay on her bed crying over her parents and her fresh wound. "DADDY! MOMMY!"_

_**End of Annabelle's Dream/Flashback**_

"Seto?"

"Yes Mokuba?"

"Can we go see her right now?"

"Why? It's almost eleven o'clock."

"I just wanna check on her."

"Sigh…Whatever…But we'll only stay for about twenty minutes."

"YAY! Thank you big brother!" Mokuba said as he gave Seto a big hug.

"(I really ought to stop giving in to him so easily.)" Seto thought as he and Mokuba ran out the door and over to Annabelle's house.

Annabelle laid in bed with her eyes wide open. A cold sweat dripped from her forehead. She reached underneath her pillow and grabbed a tiny box. She opened it hastily and pulled out a razorblade.

"(Why won't these visions stop…?)" She sighed and dug the blade into her arm. Warm blood started seeping through her skin and onto her bed. Then she started singing to relieve her thoughts of the past.

"_Oooo-oo-oh-oh_

_There is nothing I can do._

_There is nothing I can sa-ay._

_I am stuck inside my mind,_

_and I cannot run away._

_I'm stuck inside a lonely world,_

_where no one hears me out._

_I try with all my hope and might,_

_but no one hears me shout._

_The people here just walk around_

_with their noses stuck up hi-high._

_They always point and stare at me,_

_some laugh as I go by._

_There is nothing I can do._

_There is nothing I can say._

_I am stuck inside my mind,_

_and I cannot run away._

_Oo-oh-oh-oooo_

_My mind is growing weaker,_

_and my brain has strayed off course._

_I cannot comprehend this._

_Books no longer are my source._

_I'm stuck in here, the lonely world._

_Waiting to be found_

_I try to get out of this place,_

_but my mind just jumps around._

_There is nothing I can do_

_There is nothing I can sa-ay._

_I am stuck inside my mind,_

_and I cannot run away._

_Oh! Oooo-oo-whoa whoa!_

_Someone help me, someone care._

_Please listen to my cry._

_The more time I'm inside this world,_

_the more I wish to die._

_I know there's definantly someone_

_watching over me._

_If someone simply cares about me,_

_The truth they then shall see…_

"Seto, do you hear that?"

"Yeah… It sounds like someone singing… (That voice…It's strangely soothing…)"

"Hello-o! Earth to Seto!" Mokuba said waving his hand in front of his face. "Where are we going?"

"Oh. Sorry, I was spacing out. The house is right there." He pointed to the log cabin.

"Great! C'mon! Last one there is a rotten egg!" Mokuba ran up to the house while his brother struggled to keep up.

"Mokuba! No fair! (He knows how much I hate that game…) You got a head start!" He quickly dashed up beside him and touched the door of the house before Mokuba did. "Looks like you're a rotten egg now Mokuba." He commented with a grin of satisfaction on his face.

"Fine…Now let's go in!" Mokuba pushed open the door and the two Kaiba brothers walked inside.

"Uh…Annabelle?" Seto called out. "Annabelle, are you in here?"

"Her name's Annabelle?"

"Yes. She's probably in her bedroom." Mokuba nodded and then took off in search for Annabelle. In no more than about a minute, Seto heard his little brother yelp. "Mokuba? Are you alright?"

"HELP! SETO! COME HERE! QUICK!"

He ran to where Mokuba was and saw him kneeling beside Annabelle. There was blood all over her bed.

"Are you alright and… WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!" he demanded of his little brother.

"I don't know!"

Seto ran to her side as fast as he could. "Annabelle? Annabelle! Can you hear me! Wake up!"

**Simple Songwriter:** Okay, 1st chappie is done.

**Annabelle: **Please review for my hikari! I don't want her to kill me off!

**Simple Songwriter:** I'd never do that! (hugs Annabelle)

**Seto:** Don't you DARE kill her off you crazy writer!

**Simple Songwriter:** I said I wouldn't and that's a promise! (triple glare between Seto, Simple Songwriter, and Annabelle)

**Mokuba:** (sweatdrops) Anywho... Please read and review!


	2. An Endless Night

**Simple Songwriter: **I'm terribly sorry for the 4-year wait on the update of this. I started high school, got swamped with music and music-related events…I just finished up my first year of college but I've been taking summer school courses as well. However, despite all of everything that has been going on, I FINALLY found some time to write. Lucky for me, the characters haven't aged one bit!

**Seto:** That's what you think…

**Simple Songwriter: **Grawr…Hush, you…

**Annabelle: **Something my hikari forgot to note in my previous chapter: the song that I was singing is entitled "Stuck Inside My Mind" by Simple Songwriter.

**Simple Songwriter: **Yup! Someone wanna do the disclaimer now?

**Mokuba: **Sure! Simple Songwriter DOES NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

**Simple Songwriter: **Thank you, Mokuba! OH! I would also like to note that Mr. Seto Kaiba might come off as _slightly_ out-of-character in this chapter. But it'll all work out. And now, the long awaited chapter 2. (I hope you all like it!)

**Chapter 2 – An Endless Night**

"Annabelle!" cried Mokuba. "Please wake up!"

"(Where is all this blood coming from?)" the older Kaiba brother wondered. His eyes darted frantically in search for the source of the blood. His eyes finally landed on her left arm. It was clear that that was where the blood had started to flow. "Mokuba, go find some towels or something to clean this mess up." His younger brother nodded and set off to find towels. In the mean time, he continued scanning the injured girl's arm. He noticed that her right hand was clutching onto something. Carefully, he moved her fingers to see what the object was. "A razorblade?" he thought out loud. "But…why? Annabelle…What's going on with you…?"

"Big brother!" Mokuba started as he walked back into the room with a towel and a first-aid kit. "I found these for you."

"Thanks." He took the towel and gently dabbed away the blood that drenched Annabelle's arm. Then he rummaged through the first-aid kit, pulling out some gauze tape and some cotton. He placed the cotton on the wound and then bandaged up her arm.

"How did her arm get so messed up?"

"I—I think she might've done this to herself."

"No way…" Mokuba's eyes widened in shock. "But…why would she do something like this? Why Seto?"

"I don't know. But it's obvious that she can't be trusted alone."

"What should we do?"

"I know the phone number to several psychiatric hospitals that could—"

"IT'S NOT FUNNY, BIG BROTHER!"

"Who was joking?"

"That's so mean…"

"No. It's logical."

"So if I cut my wrists, you would assume that I'm crazy and just toss me into an institution without a second thought?"

"Of course not, Mokie. You're my—"

"I'm your younger brother, I know. But that shouldn't make a difference. She needs our help."

"What do you suggest we do then?"

"We should watch over her. I know! We could let her stay with us!"

Seto winced at his brother's request, but gave in and agreed. "Alright. She can stay with us. But how do you expect her to get over to our house when she's unconscious like this?"

"Not a problem! I saw a golf cart out back with the key in it."

"So you're saying that we should kidnap her AND steal her golf cart?"

"Sigh…If that's how you see it, then yes."

"Alright. Go get the golf cart and drive it around back. I'll carry Annabelle out there."

"Sure thing, big bro!" Mokuba smiled triumphantly and walked out of the cabin.

Seto turned his attention back to the brunette girl. Gently, he wrapped an arm underneath her legs and the other underneath her neck. Her head rested lightly on his shoulder. He walked out of the cabin, sat down in the golf cart, and then let his brother chauffeur them back to his lakeside mansion.

Mokuba parked the golf cart in front of the Kaiba Lakeside Mansion. Seto carefully maneuvered his way out of the vehicle and into his three-story home. He quietly climbed up to the top floor and into the guest room. Mokuba scurried in front of his big brother and pulled the bed sheets down. Seto laid Annabelle down onto the bed, pulled the sheets up and around her shoulders, and then motioned for his brother to leave the room. His brother complied and left the room.

Seto stared at the unconscious girl. "(She's still alive. I can see her chest rise and fall. Annabelle, I don't understand what's going on with you. I don't understand why you or anyone would do this to yourself. 'Tormented Dreamer.' You took the time to carve those words into your arm. There is definitely more to you than meets the eye. What's really going on with you? Hmm…Whatever it is, I'll find out. Maybe not today, but I will find out.) Sleep tight, Annabelle." With that, he turned the light off, took a final glance at his guest, and then left the room. He walked down the hallway and into his own bedroom, where Mokuba waited anxiously on his older brother's bed. "You should be asleep now, kiddo."

"I know. I was waiting for you though."

"You're old enough to tuck yourself into bed now."

"Yeah, but I still like it when you tuck me in…Please Seto?"

"Sigh…Alright. Let's go." Mokuba grabbed his brother's hand and pulled him down the hallway into his own room. He leapt into his bed. Seto walked up next to him, pulled the blankets up around his tiny shoulders, and then gently kissed his little brother on the forehead. "Good night and sleep tight."

"I love you, Seto."

"I love you too, Mokie." Seto watched as his brother curled up into a cute ball and fell asleep. He turned off the light, closed the door, and walked into his room to turn in for the evening.

He shut the door behind him. He undressed himself and then redressed himself in his blue satin pajamas. He laid down on his bed and pulled up the sheets. "(Damn it. I forgot to turn the lights off. Oh well.)" He glared at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "OFF!" he said firmly. The lights in his room turned off. He chuckled. "(I've always wanted to try that feature.)" He stretched out, shut his eyes, and ventured into the land of dreams.

_**Seto's Dream**_

"_Go Blue-Eyes! Wipe out Yugi's Dark Magician and the rest of his life points!"_

"_NO!" Yugi yelled as his life point counter hit zero. "Looks like you win, Kaiba. Great duel!"_

"_Yeah, likewise. For once, I'm able to duel you without and interruptions of diabolical schemes to take over the world."_

"_Mmhm. It's a nice change. Well, I know I need a drink," Yugi said as he reached into a cooler and grabbed a bottle of beer. "Care for one?"_

"_Uh…Aren't you a bit young to drink?"_

"_So what? Do you want one or not?"_

"_No thanks. I don't—"_

"_**Where are you? Where am I?"**_

"_Who said that? W—What's going on here?!" The dueling arena was swirling into a blue abyss. The next thing Seto knew, he was driving a large motorboat and was seated next to a slightly-intoxicated Yugi. They were out tearing up the lake along with several other jet-skiers and a few other motorboats. "This is kinda messed up."_

"_**Why did you leave me here?"**_

"_Who said that?"_

"_Sah-wha, Kaibaaaa-hic!" Yugi asked._

"_Didn't you hear that voice, Yugi?"_

"_Shh…Your voice is an eight. He need to use ou' ihdoh voicesssss…Hic!"_

"_Damn it! You're done drinking. Give me that bottle!"_

"_Nuh-uh-uh! Silly Kai-hic-baaaa!"_

"_**I'm on my knees begging. How could you do this to me?"**_

"_There it is again! Can't you hear it?"_

"_Don't worry, this isn't the Yugi talking. It's—hic—the b—burp—beer."_

"_That's it! Hand over the bottle!" Kaiba lunged at Yugi, who threw the bottle into the water._

"_No beer—hic—for me, no—hic—beer for you."_

_Kaiba turned around and saw a girl sink into the lake, right next to where the beer bottle had been tossed. "(Oh no…) Yugi, you fucking idiot! Someone's hurt!" He stopped the motor and turned the boat around._

"_I—hic—know. You're at about a—hic—ten. You need to be at a three right—"_

"_SHUT UP WITH THE DAMN NUMBER THING ALREADY!!!" Kaiba got up, jumped out of the boat, and looked for the girl that got hit by the beer bottle. He swam down in the waters and spotted her. Quickly, he grabbed her and swam to shore. "Annabelle? Annabelle! Wake up! WAKE UP!!!"_

_**End Seto's Dream**_

"Wake up, big brother!" Seto shot up in bed. It was morning now. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know, Mokuba…"

**Simple Songwriter: **Well, there ya go! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

**Annabelle: **Hey, I didn't really do anything…Don't you love me anymore?

**Simple Songwriter: **Of course I love you, Annabelle! Don't worry. You'll be doing more stuff in the next chapter. I promise. I just LOVE suspense! MWAH HA HA HA HA!

**Annabelle: ** Yay!!!

**Seto: **Hurry up and write the next chapter will you! Time is money, and I don't like wasting either of them.

**Mokuba: **Chill out big bro! You know she can't write until she sees some nice reviews.

**Simple Songwriter: **How right you are, Mokuba! Thank you for reading this, everyone. Please review the chapter for me. I would really appreciate it!


End file.
